Aklan to search-and-destroy as African swine fever hits province’s eastern part

AKLAN, Philippines – The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPVET) on Friday, April 14 said they will implement a “test-and-destroy” policy to prevent the African swine fever (ASF) from spreading after it hit the eastern part of the province.

The Aklan Provincial Government said at a press conference on April 13 to announce that tests found two hogs positive in Barangay Arcangel, Balete town.

Dr. Maria Cyresa Leen Mabel C. Siñel, chief of the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPVET-Aklan) told Rappler in a phone interview on Friday that they are considering the test and destroy policy to manage the movement of hogs in the province.

“The ‘test and destroy’ strategy is where we monitor hogs who were possibly infected by ASF and then we will get blood samples from them. Once they are positive, that will be the time we will cull them,” she said.

According to the policy of the Department of Agriculture, all hogs within a 500 meters radius from where ASF-positive hogs are found should be culled.

“We are worried that there would be uncontrolled movement of hogs in the surrounding areas, which would add the risks of spread of ASF. To manage the movement of hogs, we will be implementing the test and destroy strategy,” she said.

Source of virus

Based on the investigation of the OPVET, the ASF disease is believed to have come from hog feeds ordered online. The hog owner reportedly refused to provide more details why her two hogs had been infected with the ASF.

The two hogs infected by the ASF have died.

Balete town has deployed barangay volunteers and security personnel to cordon the area in order not to temporarily allow residents in and out of the affected households, Siñel said.

According to the DA,  the virus could stick to the clothing of humans which came from the infected households and then spread it out in other places,” she explained.

The OPVET is also currently conducting contact tracing for people who may have in contact with the undisclosed owners of the ASF-positive hogs.

The OPVET started to monitor suspected ASF in Balete on April 5.

But due to the Holy Week holiday, results of the blood samples came out only on April 11.

Emergency meeting

Balete Mayor Dexter Calizo called for an emergency meeting with the municipal and provincial ASF Task Force.

Calizo issued Executive Order No. 6 placing the Balete town  into a restrictive state.

This means that the town is implementing biosecurity measures to ensure hog products do not leave town.

Pork products are now rarely seen at the Balete public market.

Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores in a press conference Thursday has called on the public to be calm and vigilant as this is the first time that Aklan  has been infected by the ASF. – Rappler.com